GB2032368A - Vehicle sun visors - Google Patents

Abstract

An automotive vehicle sun visor comprises a shaped bearing element (11) die-cut from a polymeric alveolar material board, connection means (13), for the swingable connection to a vehicle body and an overlapping "peripherally" welded half-shell (12a-12b) lining (12) enclosing and concealing from view the bearing element (11) and connection means (13). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Automotive vehicle sun visor This invention relates to a sun visor, particularly for automotive vehicles.

The sun visors currently employed, being required to possess light weight, deformability (for safety reasons), and an attractive appearance, are generally manufactured in the form of a small wire frame embedded in a core pad of an expanded material which is then covered with a peripherally sewn or heat welded lining; the wire frame-which is arranged to extend out of the core pad and lining assembly for some distance - carrying members for attachment to the car body which comprise, in turn, a hinge with a frictional coupling intended to make the various angular positions to which the visor can be tilted, including a stowed position where the visor is raised to contact the car roof padding, stable ones.

That structural arrangement, while reflecting a widespread practice and meeting the lightness/safety requisites quite satisfactorily, as well as affording appreciable aesthetic results, has the disadvantage of being a considerably complex one in that it requires several manufacturing steps, some of which are fairly laborious and costly.

In fact, the frame construction involves wire bending and welding operations which can only be automated with great difficulty, and invariably require the availability of complex and expensive equipment.

This reflects in a sometimes excessive cost of the ultimate product, which is unjustified by the final use for which the product is intended.

Moreover, the wire frame, in the event of breakage or failure of the weldments at the joined areas, could pierce the pad and create a potentially hazardous situation from the standpoint of passangers' safety.

Another drawback with conventional sun visors as indicated, resides in that they have, again by reason of their metal frames, a not negligible weight, thereby their anchoring to the car or vehicle body implies the use of frictionally coupled hinges of substantially strong and complex construction, which adds to the cost.

This invention sets out to provide a sun visor so structured as to substantially reduce the cited drawbacks while retaining, and even improving upon, the aesthetic features of conventional and currently used sun visors.

Within that general aim, it is possible to arrange that the sun visor of this invention is of greatly simplified construction, may require for its manufacture no complex processing and special equipment, and of reduced weight, thereby it achieves an appreciable reduction of the overall cost as well.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sun visor, particularly for automotive vehicles, characterized in that it com prises a bearing structure including a shaped ele ment produced by die-cutting from a board of an alveolar polymeric material resulting from a continuous extrusion process; connection means for the swingable connection to a vehicle body, said connection means cooperating in direct seating, retention and, possibly, frictional engagement relationship with the channel-like alveoli in said shaped element; and an overlapping peripherally welded half-shell enclosing and concealing from view said bearing structure and swinging connection means excepting for that portion thereof to be connected to the vehicle body.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a particularly simple and advantageous embodiment of it provides a swinging connection means which comprises at least one circular wire rod which is inserted, for a straight portion thereof of suitable length, in one of the channel-like alveoli of the bearing alveolar structure. Thus, a hinge is formed which serves both for suspending the visor and securing it in frictional engagement relationship; said engagement being simply afforded by the friction acting between the rod and inner surface of the alveolar channel.If required, e.g. when large size and consequently heavier sun visors must be provided, the frictional engagement can be improved by increasing the coefficient of friction at the contact area, which is easily accomplished, e.g. by an appropriate surface treatment of the rod metal, or by threading the same, at least partly, or by using a polygonal cross-section rod.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the rod is instead madetornue-wise rigid with said structure, and a conventional frictional coupling means is provided which is effective to hingedly connect the rod portion extending externally to the visor to its related support.

The invention will be next described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are illustrative rather than restrictive, and where: Figure lisa partly sectional view of a sun visor according to the invention, the sun visor shown being of the tilt-only type; Figure 2 is an enlarged scale sectional view taken along the line ll-ll of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a partly sectional view of a sun visor of the swinging type; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a detail of Figure 3; and Figure 5 is a partly sectional partial view of a sun visor according to a variation of the invention.

With reference first to Figures 1 and 2, a sun visor is generally indicated at 10 which comprises subs tantiallya bearing inner structure 11 of a polymeric material, an outer lining 12 enclosing the bearing structure, and suspension and hinge connection means generally indicated at 13.

According to the invention, the inner structure 11 is formed by an element shaped to fit the peripheral contour of the visor and die-cut from an alveolar board of a polymeric material, advantageously high-density polyethylene. Said board will be of the extruded type and characterized by the presence of parallel continuous alveolia which are defined by corresponding parallel ribsn enclosed between two sheets f1 and f2 facing each other, the alveoli thus achieving a tubular configuration. Polymeric mater ial boards of the type specified above are known in the trade and generally utilized for packaging and the like purposes as a substitute for corrugated cardboard.When used for the bearing structure of a sun visor according to this invention, the die-cut element formed from said board may be either continuous or provided with holes or lightening cutouts effective to improve the collapsibility of the sun visor in the event of a collision (thus improving the so-called "passive safety factor").

The structure 11, as described above, is enclosed within the lining 12 which comprises two half-shells 12a, 12b, possibly preformed in a moulding step, which are joined together by means of a peripheral welded seam SP. The material used for that outer lining, which is also polymeric, comprises of preference sheets of foamed PVC (polyvinylchloride) having weldability properties.

The suspension and hinge connection means 13 comprise a pair of cylindrical rods formed from wire material and including a straight portion 13a each which ends in a termination 13b shaped to form an eye and adapted to cooperate with screw fasteners (not shown) for attaching the sun visor to the vehicle body.

As will be apparent from the figure, the straight portion 13a of each rod is inserted to a tight fit into one of the tubular alveoli a of the structure 11 and the eye termination 13b protrudes out of the alveolus at a notch 14 formed at the visor centre.

Thus, a frictional engagement hinge is produced in a most simple manner, thereby the visor is enabled to swing about the common axis of the straight portions 13a of the wire rods which are inserted in opposite directions. That simple frictional engagement coupling, at the contact areas between the rods and load-bearing structure, makes the angular positions to be taken by the visor stable ones. With large-size, and accordingly heavier, sun visors, it may be advantageous to treat the surfaces of the rod straight portions such as to increase their frictional coefficient.

To this aim, a galvanic or electrochemical treatment may be utilized which is effective to produce a surface microporosity in the rod metal. Alternatively, the straight portions of the rods could be threaded at least in part, such that the friction is accompanied by a compressive stress of the material of the loadbearing structure 11 as the sun visor is shifted anguiarly. The invention also provides for the utilization of a polygonal cross-section, e.g. a square or hexagonal cross-section, rod to achieve an incremental tilting movement of the visor.

Figures 3 and 4 show a sun visor 100 which can be swung sideways in addition to being tiltable up and down.

In this case, the suspension and hinge connection are accomplished by means of a straight round rod 130 which is aiso inserted through an alveolusa of the structure 11 and has one end connected to the pivot pin 20 of the side-swinging movement hinge 21 which is of a type knownperse, its other end engaging a retainer member adapted for preventing said rod from sliding out of said alveolus. As shown in detail in Figure 4, said member advantageously comprises a plate 22 having a bifurcated end 23 adapted for engagement with a terminating groove 131 on the rod 130; said plate being embedded in the material of the structure 11 and subsequently bent at right angles to the surface of the structure itself.

Figure 3 also shows how a terminating portion 132 of the rod 130 protrudes out of a notch 30 in the visor to cooperate with a hook prearranged on the vehicle body (not shown) and form an auxiliary detachable hinge, in accordance with an arrangement also knownperse.

In the embodiment of Figure 5, the ends 1 3c of the half-rods 13, instead of being shaped to form an eyelet are simply bent over and clamped in a plate 40 adapted for cooperating with the pivot pin of a hinge (not shown) of the frictional engagement type.

The plate 40 is provided with holes 41 receiving screws therethrough which serve both for securing the assembly to the vehicle body and for adjusting the frictional action of the hinge.

In this instance, with the visor being provided with a hinge of conventional design, the connection between the visor and suspension rods would not be swingable sideways, and for this purpose, the end 1 3d of each rod remote from the one cooperating with the plate 40, is secured to the structure 11, e.g.

by forming a "U" bend which is then re-inserted to a tight fit through an alveolus, such as a1, adjacent the one containing the rod itself.

Within this same inventive principle, the constructional details and embodiments of the invention may vary somewhat from the ones described in the foregoing and illustrated in the accompanying exemplary drawings, without departing from the true scope of the instant invention.

Claims (13)

1. A sun visor, particularly for automotive vehicles, characterized in that it comprises a bearing structure including a shaped element produced by die-cutting from a board of an alveolar polymeric material resulting from a continuous extrusion process; connection means for the swingable connection to a vehicle body, said connection means cooperating in direct seating, retention and, possibly, frictional engagement relationship with the channel-like alveoli in said shaped element; and an overlapping peripherally welded half-shell lining enclosing and concealing from view said bearing structure and swinging connection means excepting for that portion thereof to be connected to the vehi cle body.

2. A sun visor according to Claim 1, wherein said shaped element is formed from a board of a polymeric material having parallel continuous alveoli separated by corresponding parallel ribs inc luded between two sheets facing each other; said board being of the conventional type as used for packaging and the like purposes as a substitute for corrugated and/or ribbed cardboard.

3. A sun visor according to Claim 1 and 2, wherein said shaped element is continuous.

4. A sun visor according to Claim 1 and 2, wherein said shaped element is provided with ligh tening holes or notches.

5. A sun visor according to Claim 1, wherein said swinging connection means comprise at least one round cross-section rod inserted for a straight por tion thereof into one of the channel-like alveoli in said shaped element constituting said structure; said rod and said alveolus forming a swinging movement hinge with direct frictional coupling.

6. A sun visor according to Claim-5, wherein said rod is surface treated for increasing the friction coefficient thereof; said treatment also including an at least partial threading of said rod.

7. Asun visor according to Claims, wherein said connection means comprise two opposed rods terminating in one eye-let each, said eye-let termination being located at a notch formed at the sun visor centre.

8. A sun visor according to Claim 5, wherein said connection means comprise a single rod having one end connected to the pivot pin of a sideway-swing- ing movement hinge and the other end in engagement with a retainer member effective to prevent said rod from sliding out of said channel-like alveolus.

9. A sun visor according to Claim 1, wherein said connection means comprise at least one rod having one end clamped in a plate forming a frictional coupling hinge, and wherein said rod is inserted for rigid connection into the channel-like alveoli of said shaped element constituting said structure.

10. A sun visor according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said shaped element constituting said structure is made of high density polyethylene.

11. A sun visor according to the preceding claims, wherein said lining comprises weldable foamed polyvinylchloride (PVC) sheets.

12. A sun visor, particularly for automotive vehicles, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. Any novel element, or combination of ele ments, herein described and/or shown in the accompanying drawings, irrespective of whether the present claim is within the scope of, or relates to the same invention as, any of the preceding claims.